Samsung Unveils 5M:1 Contrast Ratio LED Monitor

There was a time when I used to lambast the meaninglessness of dynamic contrast ratio figures quoted in the latest TVs and monitors, but now I just give up...

Samsung has launched the 'XL2370', a 23in 16:9 LED backlit monitor which it claims has a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Let me say that again: 5,000,000:1. To put this in perspective, the eighth generation Pioneer Kuro - a set which revolutionised the HDTV landscape (as is still only bettered by its successor) - has a 16,000:1 contrast ratio. Sigh.
Naturally enough Samsung gets to this mammoth figure because LED backlighting actually switches off parts of the screen that are meant to be black so in theory it could pretty much make up any number and pin it to the top of some marketing fluff. Besides, the black levels in picture quality aren't solely about how dark the screen is, they also concern the detail that needs to be picked out in dark scenes - a very different challenge which LED has sometimes struggled with in the past. Ho and indeed hum.

Still that's not to say the XL2370 isn't a nice monitor since it has an elegant, clean design, Full HD friendly native 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, sharp 2ms response time (another hugely ambiguous measurement), touch controls and reduced power consumption modes.

The XL2370 will launch in Korea this month and hit Europe from August where it will face tough competition from the likes of the Apple LED Cinema display and LG W2486L LED BLU (just the 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio quoted there!). Most likely things will come down to price and since that we don't yet have that for this new beasty we'll reserve judgement for now.